Shoe protecting device



Y- 1936- 2. R. EVERETT ET AL 2,062,123

SHOE PROTECTING DEVICE Filed Oct. 25, 1935 //v YEN 7'0Rs Z 54/ 1/7415 I EfiE r7 A6741 EK/Vy I? 7 BY 4%- ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 24, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE SHOE PROTECTING DEVICE Application October 25, 1935, Serial No. 46,657

1 Claim.

The invention relates to improvements in womens footwear protectors. The protector is designed for the purpose of keeping water, scalding water, grease, ink, paste, acids, dust, etc.

from soiling or spoiling the shoe or stocking of the wearer. Another object of the protector is to save the footwear from being dented, nicked or scratched, when it accidentally comes in contact with other objects. The protector, when in an operative position upon a shoe, in all respects assumes the functions of an apron or coverall and will, in the following description, be referred to as a shoe-apron.

Another object of our invention is to provide 5 a shoe protector that can be worn to advantage by Women in most walks of life; a shoe protector that is useful for play as well as for work, whether at home or at the factory, store, ofiice or restaurant.

In order to meet all the conditions which this implies, our aim has been to provide a shoe-apron that is neat and of superior looks among articles of its kind, so that it may be favorably considered as a footwear accessory, and may be worn as a protection for womens footwear of all kinds, even the more expensive kind. A shoe protector that is sufiiciently light and small, so that it may be carried conveniently in the handbag. A shoeapron that, by being available in all of the desirable colors, enables a woman to wear a shoe accessory of a color to match any color she may desire. Conversely a shoe-apron that by acting as a mask permits women to wear, without embarrassment, their old, but decidedly comfortable shoes about the house, and likewise to wear slippers or special footwear on account of fallen arches, injury, etc.

A major object has been to provide a shoe protector that can be made very cheaply. The shoeapron has consequently been designed so that it meets all the requirements of a product suitable for quantity production. Its component pieces can be cut out by machine, they require no hem and are easily sewed together, as overlapping areas of the different parts are clearly defined. The apron itself, as well as its main component parts, is divisible into symmetrical halves, and fits both right and left foot. Its composite construction and the inherent resiliency of the materials from which it is made gives it the ability to fit shoes in sizes over a wide range.

Other inter-related objects are: a shoe protector that cannot be felt by its wearer, and that can be put on the shoe and taken off in the 5 easiest manner possible. That can also be left upon the shoe and, thus, put on or removed with the shoe. This is of value to people who have difficulty with stooping.

To meet these aims we have made the shoeapron in such a Way and from such materials that it does not collapse, when off the shoe, but can maintain itself erect with only the bottom edges supported. This limits the means required, for supporting the shoe-apron in a functional position upon a shoe, to the tension supplied by 10 a single elastic strap, acting along the bottom edges of the shoe apron, and to structurally forming the extreme front of the shoe-apron similarly to the way in which the front of a shoe is formed so that it comprises a vamp, a toe-cap 15 and an outsole, thus enveloping and retaining within itself the corresponding part of the shoe upon which it rests.

To conform, as naturally as possible, to the contour of the foot, we have split the apron, 6 transversally, into two sections: an arched, upwardly sloping, cuff like section, loosely enclosing the ankle and mounted in a way to allow it a slight freedom of movement, on the rear of the non-rigid composite section, which covers the 25 more level, frontal part of the foot by spanning it likev a tapered arch.

Inexpensive, durable, non-raveling materials, impermeable to Water and dust, easily cleaned, that are available in all colors, and that, while 30 flexible, are structurally constituted to sustain themselves in an arched position, are found amongst the synthetic leathers, such as fabricoid, also soft thin leather, etc. Any material or fabric possessing these qualifications may be 35 used in its manufacture.

The invention resides in certain novel features of the construction, and combinations, arrangements and adaptations of the several parts of the improved shoe protector, whereby certain im- 40 portant advantages are attained, and the device is rendered simpler, cheaper and otherwise better adapted and more convenient for use as will be hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which 5 Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of our p rotecting device shown applied to a shoe.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan View of Fig. 1.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 represent plan views of the parts of which our novel protecting device is formed prior to its assembly.

Referring to the drawing in which like reference characters designate like parts and referring more particularly to Figs. 4, 5 and 6, it will be seen that our novel protecting device consists of a vamp portion I which has the lower straight edge 2, the upper V shaped edge 3, and. the suitably rounded side edges 4 and 5. The vamp portion I is adapted to cover the instep as shown in Fig. l. The portion 7 shown in Fig. 4 is adapted to cover the part of the shoe intermediate the edge 2 of the portion I and the toe of the shoe and is shaped accordingly. On the upper curved edge 8 of the portion 7 is provided a clover leaf tongue having the side Wings 9 and the end wing I so that when assembled.

the side wings 9 and the end wing ID are both inserted through the slot I2 and then the end wing I0 is inserted through the slot I3 in the portion I so that the side wings 9 rest on the upper surface of the portion I and the end wing II] rests against the under surface thereof, thereby firmly locking the portion I of the portion I with the straight edge 2 of the portion I overlapping the curvilinear edge 8 of the portion 1. The outer or lower convex edge I4 of the portion 1 is slotted as at I5 to permit that end of the portion 1 to conform to the curvature of the toe of the shoe. On either side of the slot I5 are provided the tongues I8 and I9 which are adapted to be deflected in overlapping relation to each other under the toe of the shoe, as at 20, said tongues I8 and I9 being adhesively secured to each other by any adhesive 2|. In order more firmly to connect the portions I and I, the ends 22 and 23 of the portion 1 are coated with any adhesive 2|, as also are the corners 26 and 21 of the portion I, so that in assembled relationship the corners 26 and 21 of the portion I overlap and are adhesively secured to the ends 22 and 23 of the portion I. In Fig. 6 we have illustrated a toe portion which is composed of the wings 28 and 29 and the tongue 30 and which, when assembled, will be adhesively secured to or near the overlapping ends I8 and I9 of the portion 7 by a suitable adhesive 2| with the tongue 30 overlapping and covering the slot I5 in the portion 1, all as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In order to secure the protecting device, as a whole, to the shoe, we provide an elastic band which is provided with the rear loop 32 which engages the heel 33 of the shoe, said elastic band having the ends 34 and 35 thereof adhesively secured between the corners 26 and 27 of the portion I and the ends 22 and 23 of the portion 1. The protecting device is sold completely assembled in the form illustrated in Fig. 1 and it is worn by slipping the entire device over the shoe and engaging the loop 32 of the elastic tape over the heel 33 of the shoe. Thus, the person wearing Valuable shoes and wishing to do some work, can without any trouble, slip the protecting device over the shoe, and similarly, if such person is called away from the work being done, the protecting device can be easily kicked off the shoe. Furthermore, our protecting device is preferably made of light, imitation leather or other tough and waterproof fabric, and can be made in all colors. The device is extremely light and due to the simplicity of its manufacture is extremely inexpensive.

We believe that this description of the protecting device, supplemented by the drawing, will enable anyone skilled in the art to manufacture same. While the preferred form of this invention has been herein shown and described, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, Within the scope of the claim without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is also apparent that our shoe protector can be used in lieu of ordinary rubber over-shoes or galoshes to protect the shoes from rain or splashing.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1

A composite shoe protecting device comprising an instep portion having a slot in the forward part thereof and having end tabs, an elastic fastening strap extending from said tabs rearwardly to engage the heel of the shoe, a vamp portion having a notch in the forward edge thereof and having its rear edge underlapping the forward edge of said instep portion, a tonguev formed on the rear edge of said vamp portion and adapted to engage the slot in the forward edge of said instep portion, rear end tabs on said vamp portion secured to the end tabs of said instep portion, a toe portion having an upward extension adapted to cover the said notch, and end tabs on the forward end of said vamp portion adhesively secured in overlapping relation to each other, .said instep, vamp and toe portions being formed of thin decorative sheet material.

ZELMA R. EVERETT.

KARL F. V. NYGAARD. 

